b o o k Upon their own eilates the nobles and gentry are almoiH
, ^ .Ttnrrtnrmn1p.fi, having abfolute authority over their vaflals,
as will be ihown when I treat of the peafants.
II. The next order o f fubjedts are the Clergy.
I have already had occaiion to mention the origin and
fuppreffion o f the office of patriarch, who was formerly the
head of the Ruffian clergy. Peter I. finally aboliffied -that
dignity in 1719 ; but inftead of formally declaring, himfelf
the head o f the church, he prudently eonfigned the chief
ecclefiaftical authority to a tribunal which he called the fa-
cred fynod; but which was in cffedt rendered abfolutely
fubfervient to him by an oath taken by all its members,
acknowledging him as their fupreme judge. The fynod
is compofed o f the fovereign who is prefident, a vice-prefi-
dent who is generally the metropolitan archbiffiop, and a
number o f counfellors and aflelfors.
The clergy are divided into, 1 . regular, and 2. fecular ;
the firft are monks, and the latter pariffi-priefts.
1 . The principal wealth o f the church is centered in the
monafteries, which formerly had eilates to the amount o f
/400,0 0a per annum; and, like the other land-holders,
enjoyed uncontrouled authority over their peafants, who were
equally bondfmen as on the pofleffions o f the laity. The
prefent emprefs has annexed thefc church-lands to the crown ;
and in return grants annual penfions to the hierarchy-, the
dignified clergy, and the monks. The archbiihops and .
bidrops receive about ¿ 1 000 or / 12 0 0 per annum; and
the fubordinate ecclefiafticks in proportion. Soon after this
regulation took place, many of the monafteries were -fup-
prefled ; and the members in thofe which were fpared were
confiderably reduced, as well by the prohibition to admit
more
more than a certain number, as, by limiting the age o f novi- CI^ E- v
ciates.
The abolition o f monafteries mull be acknowledged a very
beneficial circumftance in moft countries ; yet there is one
evil to be apprehended from it in R u ffia : they were the-
only feminaries of education for thofe perfons defigned for
the facred fundtion ; and the monks are, i f I may fo exprefs
myfelf, almoft the foie proprietors o f the learning which
fubfifts among the clergy. But moft probably the ill effects
which may be expedted from the fuppreffion o f fome convents
will be compenfated by the better improvement introduced
into the adminiftration o f thofe which are continued,,
and by the fchools lately eftabliihed in various parts o f the
empire for the education o f ecclefiafticks.
All the dignitaries of the church are chofen from the
order o f monks : thefe are archbiihops and bifhops, archimandrites
or abbots, and igoomens or priors. “ The epif-
“ copal order in Ruffia is diftinguiffied by the different titles
“ of metropolitan, archbiffiop, and biffiop. The titles of
“ metropolitan and archbiffiop are not attached to the fe e ;
“ but are, at prefent, merely perfonal diftindtions conferred
1 by the fovereign, which give the polfeiibrs no additional
“ power, and fcarcely any precedence The archbiffiop-
ricks or bifhopricks are thirty-three in number. 1. Novo—
gorod. 2.Mofcow. 3 .Peteriburgh. 4. Cafan. 5.Aftracan.
6. Tobolik,. 7. Roftof. 8. Pleikof. 9. Kratitz. 10. Refan.
1 1 . Tver. 12. Slavenik and Kherfon. j 3. Mohilef. 14.
Smoleniko.' 15. Niffinei-Novogorod. 16. Bielgorod. 17..
Sufdal. 18. Vologda. 19. Columna. 2o.Viatik. 21. Arch-
* D r . K in g on th e G re e k C h u r c h , p . 27.2.
angeL